Judge Says Android Was A Big Money Loser In 2010

Even as it was selling more and more handsets Google’s Android platform apparently lost considerable money throughout 2010, according to remarks made by the Judge in the Oracle-Google intellectual property trial. According to Reuters, Judge William Alsup commented on otherwise sealed financial documents submitted by Google to the court.

“That adds up to a big loss for the whole year,” the Judge reflected. This, despite generating nearly $100 million in revenue in Q1 2010.

The reason this came up is because Android profit and loss records were submitted to the court as part of a damages hearing during the copyright phase of the trial. The jury is reportedly deadlocked on the question of whether Google infringed Oracle’s copyright in Java. The trial involves multiple claims against Google, including patent infringement.

The presentation of a loss by Google would help the company minimize any damages award potentially.

This isn’t the first Android financial information to come out during the trial. Late last month Google produced a range of data that reflected unit sales and revenue projections through 2013.

Google also produced data on mobile search volume and anticipated advertising revenue distribution from mobile.The company estimated mobile search revenue based on an expected 1.1 queries per day per mobile device.

About The Author

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.